Spoons

How you respond to the 30th anniversary edition of Spoons' second album, Arias & Symphonies, is wholly dependent on how fondly you remember it from the first time around. There's no getting past the fact that music from the '80s sounds dated and this is no exception. Yet nostalgia alone might be enough to convince people to pick this up all over again. Naturally, the album is defined by its big hit, "Nova Heart," which was a MuchMusic staple in its early days; it's the most familiar song and while it definitely shows its age, a new remix reveals that it's still a pretty decent tune. But the album also has some other strong material, like "Walk The Plank," which could be regarded as a new wave Canadian classic. The bonus material included features six live tracks from a 1982 concert in Ottawa. They're not as essential as the album, but the sound quality is surprisingly good. Fans will be very happy, indeed.